Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Ronin Warriors: Hell Back on Earth ❯ Fast Times in Osaka ( Chapter 12 )

Karen was jolted out of her slumber by the bumps of the train as it sped towards Osaka, where Naru said she knew someone. She looked over at her new traveling companion, who looked the part of completely wiped out. Her hat pulled over her eyes, her glasses tucked into her tank top. Naru had been asleep since they left Tokyo, and it did not look like she was waking up anytime soon. She heard the conductor announce that the train had reached Osaka as the train screeched to a halt and pulled into the station. Karen nudged the early teen next to her, and when that failed she pulled her hat off her face. Naru slowly opened her eyes and let out a loud yawn.

"Are we there?" She asked sleepily.
"<Uh huh. C'mon, wake up.>" she coaxed as Naru got to her feet and stretched out. Karen helped the not quite awake Naru out of the train as Tenma led the two girls to a limo waiting for them out front.

"Wow cool, a limo!" Karen exclaimed as the driver opened the door for the group and they climbed in. As she tried to keep Naru from drifting back to sleep again, she peered out the windows and got her first glimpses of the neon lights and restaurants of the city. It was such an amazing place to her. The car finally pulled up to a large mansion, one much like the house Naru lived in. Waiting at the front door was an older gentlemen.

"Furukiayu-san! How's business?" he asked, using a Japanese phrase Karen was unfamiliar with, and on top of that, she could barely understand the exchange between the two gentlemen.

"<Who's that?>" She asked Naru.
"Ohh, that's Mr. Nagaihidaka. He works for your dad too."
"This just keeps getting more and more interesting." She said to herself.
"Ah Karen! I want you to meet someone. This is Mr. Nagaihidaka. He handles all of my operations here in Osaka."
"<Nice to meet you.>" she replied.
"So, how do you like Osaka so far?" he asked in the same strange speech pattern that he spoke to her father in.
"<Very nice place.>" she replied.
"Please, make yourselves at home." He replied. "I have some business to discuss with your father."

Naru dragged Karen off, remembering that there was a swimming pool out back, where the two girls changed into their swimsuits and sat by it.

"<So, Naru, any idea why we're here?>" "My only guess is we're here to see Shou."
"<Who's he? Is he cute?>" Karen asked.
"He's Mr. Nagaihidaka's son. I don't remember much about him because I was really little last time I saw him. I guess he's about your age now." Naru said, yawning a bit.
"Mind if I take a nap? I was having a great dream about Yuji on the train." Naru replied.
"<And you say you'll think about dating him...>" Karen replied as she too fell asleep.

From the shrubbery nearby, a shadowy form watched the two girls. The next thing they knew, a slight breeze blew by, startling them.
"What was that?" Naru wondered.

Karen opened her eyes as well, and looked around her neck, only to find that something was missing. Her necklace. Someone had stolen it! She heard laughter from the distance, as a young man about her age dangled it in front of him. His hair was done up in dreadlocks, and he could not contain his laughter at all.

"Wow! Nice piece of jewelry. I wonder how much I can get for dis thing." he said. He then looked over at the girls. "Naru?"
"Shou?" Naru replied back.

The two shouted each other's names as they ran up and hugged.

"The last time I saw you was when you were a little girl! My how ya've grown! And ya filled out quite nicely, I might add.."
"Shou, you're embarrassing me..." Naru blushed.
"I tell ya, if I was six years younger, I'd definitely wanna go on a date with ya."
"Shou...you're teasing..." Naru giggled, as the boy got his first glimpse of Karen.
"Hello beautiful, what's your name?" Shou asked.

Karen began to glow black a bit.

"Die." she replied angrily as she pointed her hand skyward and Shou lifted off the ground and flipped upside down.

"Whaydda Tryin' ta pull on me?" Shou said speedily as he dangled helplessly in the air.
"Give it back. NOW." Karen demanded.
"Okay okay, ya don' have ta be so demandin' Putmedownwillya?" Shou said, dropping the necklace into her hand and watched helplessly as she put it back around her neck.

"Come on Naru, I don't feel like sitting out here when there's a perv like that around." she said, walking off.
"Hey wait! Whadabout me? Put me down!"

Karen cut off her attack, causing the moron to fall painfully into the pool.
"Wha'did you do that for? I was just kiddin'! Ya don't have ta make such a scene!" Shou said as he climbed out of the pool.

Meanwhile...

"I take it you've heard about the situation?" Tenma asked Nagaihidaka.
"Yes. Oyabun's aides have asked that we bring you to see him as soon as possible." he explained.
"Is Shou ready?" Tenma asked.
"His powers have surfaced as you predicted sir. His incredible speed will be a valuable asset."
"We just have to wait for Yasuhara's daughter to show some signs of her powers manifesting." Tenma explained. "We have to hope they appear soon. We cannot allow Sadojima to get control of the organization. He'll ruin everything."

Upstairs, Naru lay wiped out on the bed. Karen sat on a nearby chair, reading to herself. She knew what was happening with Naru. But she had no clue in the world what her father was up to. Something about seeing his father one last time. But if this was so important, why did he have to bring Naru along with them? Her dad was always a mysterious man.

Her thoughts were cut off as she looked over at Naru, who had just begun to glow. The girl floated into the air, as energy began to crackle everywhere, affecting the lights. Shou panicked and the discussion about candidates for Drakka's Priestess were cut off as all rushed upstairs to observe the power surge. Lightning bolts shot from Naru as she tilted upward vertically and her feet touched the floor and she opened her eyes as the energy wind died down and the aura faded.

"What happened?" Naru said confused.
"I think you got your powers." Karen explained.
"I wonder what mine are..." Naru thought to herself as she picked up a hairbrush, which began to glow with energy. While Naru stood there confused, Shou rushed in and hurled the object out the window and yelled for everyone to dive to the floor. An explosion sounded, shaking the house. When the tremors died down, everyone got back up, shaken and unsure what to think. Except Naru that is, who had a big smile on her face.

"COOL!!!!" she exclaimed, causing everyone to facefault.
"Great, my new friend's Gambit." Karen said to herself. "Um, Naru, you might want to be careful touching things from now on."
"But da good thing is, now ya won't have to catch z's at da worst possible time any more!" Shou explained.
"YAHOO!!!!" Naru exclaimed.
"Oh, great, it's you again. Would you kindly leave us alone, unless you want to dangle helplessly from the sky again."

Shou took the hint and dashed off.

Over at the palace...

"Has anyone seen Kashin?" Amaterasu asked.
"Not that I know of." Ayako replied.
"Personally, if that jerk never comes back I'll be glad to see him go." Yoko replied.
"I saw him." Ran answered.
"Where is he?" Amaterasu asked.
"I dunno, I told him about my friend Karen and he ran off."
"Oh dear...I think I know where he might be. We must hurry."

Back in Boston...

"Chief, got another whacko here. The boys here say he trashed an apartment and while he was at it managed to destroy every bit of magnetically recorded data. Everything in the apartment's been shot to hell."
"Great. Where do we find these weirdoes? I'm sure, the next thing you're gonna tell me, is that somebody in Homicide's got some weird gauntlet!"
"No, not yet sir. The other guy's in some sort self induced coma."
"Just our luck!"
"The problems continue. We apprehended two more people, they also don't speak a word of English."
"Why Me God? When did Boston become a hotbed for unusual activity? All this stuff's supposed to go on in NEW YORK!!!!"

As McNichols continued to complain bout how hell seemed to have frozen over, through the magic of ancient technology Yoko kasaed the crew into Kashin's hospital room.

"We've gotta figure out what went on." Suiren said.
"Like, I can help!" Yoko said. "Kaosu taught me this spell that lets me peek into people's minds! It's so totally cool!"

Yoko placed her hand on Kashin's forehead. In a matter of seconds, images began pouring into her head. Of a young girl, of how he worried so much when she did not come home. How he searched everywhere for her.

"Cool! I like know why he's so uptight all the time!" Yoko said.
"Yoko, we're trying to find out why he's comatose right now."
"Ohhh, right. He saw some photograph and went nuts. Trashed everything. This guy's got some serious power, fer sure."

"Hey, sounds like someone's in there!"

The group dove for the kasa and teleported away, just as the officers burst into the room.

The next day back in Osaka...

"YAHOO!!!!!" Karen exclaimed, echoing throughout the house.
"What..." Naru said, being woken from a sound sleep.
"<It's my birthday today!>" Karen shouted.
"Oh, happy birthday. So, how old are you now?"
"<Twenty. That means one more year and I can drink.>" she replied.

Naru looked back at her with a very confused look on her face.

"What do you mean.."
"<What? Why are you looking at me like that?>" Karen asked.
"Didn't you know?" Naru asked.
"<Know what?>"
"That you only have to be twenty to drink here." Naru replied.

Karen let out an even louder yell of happiness as Naru struggled to get back to sleep.

Later that night...

Shou, aware of the good night spots in his hometown, was determined to show Karen a good time on her birthday. It would be at his expense however, for he had an ulterior motive in mind, specifically on in mind; revenge.

"Well, dis is da place." Shou replied, stopping at a popular restaurant.
"<This isn't going to set me back much, is it Shou?>" Karen asked.
"Naw, it's my treat." Shou said.

To Karen's surprise, the matre'd recognized Shou and immediately escorted the three to the VIP area. Whoever Shou's dad was, he certainly had connections.

"<Naru, does this happen to you when you go out to eat?>" Karen asked.
"All the time! My dad's got some pretty good connections."

"<Yeah, connections.>" She replied, confused at the unusual things that kept happening.

Almost as quickly, the waiter came over and asked if the three would like anything to drink. Shou ordered a bottle of Kirin, while Naru ordered a soda. It was now Karen's turn. Shou smiled evilly as he suggested the girl try a Japanese Tea. He then emphasized to the waiter that she meant the OTHER kind. The waiter nodded, and headed off to acquire the drinks.

"<Um, Shou?>" Karen inquired.
"Yeah?"
"<What's a Japanese Tea?>"
"You'll see." he said smiling.

The waiter returned, placing the beer so that the label faced him. After placing Naru's soda, Karen was given a green liquid in a small glass, decorated with an umbrella.

"To Karen having a happy birthday!" Shou declared.

The three clinked their glasses together. Karen took a sip, and felt a strange sensation hit her. She shook it off and took another sip. Shou watched in delight.

What Karen DID NOT know was that the sneaky Shou had ordered her a very strong cocktail, that was a twist on the infamous Long Island Iced Tea, the twist, being a bit of Midori. Revenge was a dish, or in this case a drink best served cold.

Meanwhile, Shou's father and Tenma arrived at another place, where the door was guarded by two men in suits. Recognizing the two men, they were let in and led through the estate to a group of similarly dressed men surrounding an old man on a futon.

"Oyabun-san, Furukiayu and Nagaihidaka are here to see you."
"Ah...Tenma...my most loyal and obedient son." Oyabun answered in a hoarse voice, coughing a bit.

"I brought him here as soon as I could sir." Mr. Nagaihidaka explained.
"Has Sadojima-san arrived yet?" Oyabun asked.
"No sir. We're expecting him soon."
"Good...When he gets here, I will explain everything."

The night went on, with Karen still unaware of what Shou had pulled on her. Not realizing what she had gotten herself into, she had another when the first was empty. Karen started to act crazily, and got louder and louder. Naru sat there, puzzled at what had gotten into her friend. It only took a few minutes before she leapt at Shou and was prepared to wring his neck.

"You got her drunk, didn't you!" Naru shouted.
"Yep! I'm drunk!" Karen replied with slurred speech.
"Why'd you do it?" Naru demanded.
"Because I thought it was cool, besides I wantd to get'er back for what she did ta me!"

Naru grabbed a pair of chopsticks from the table and began to focus. She then prepared to throw the now glowing objects at Shou.

"Look at the pretty glowing chopsticks...coooooooolll." Karen said while still in her drunken stupor.
"It was only a joke..." Shou replied. "A CRUEL joke." Naru replied, not backing down.
"Okay okay, I'm sorry, 'kay?" Shou replied.
"Fine." Naru said, removing the kinetic charge.

"Gooood niiiiiiiiiiight Everyone! Thank you for your patronage!!!!!" Karen said, before passing out.
"Um, check please."

Shou's car pulled up out front, and Naru climbed in, with Shou behind her, lugging the unconscious Karen over his shoulder, who was snoring loudly. He placed her gently across one of the seats, while Naru dozed off in the other one.

After waiting a while, Mr. Sadojima finally arrived. Everything about the man looked sadistic, although Tenma still held the trophy and was not about to give it up. He was accompanied by his various heads.

"Gentlemen, as you already know...my time as Oyabun is very short now." he answered in a gravely voice. "Thus it is essential that I turn ownership of the clan over to someone else. I have thought long and hard, but I am at a stumbling block. The new leader will either be Mr. Sadojima, or Mr. Furukiayu."

"It should be me, Oyabun! I am most worthy, because this looser has been out of Japan so long it'll be a wonder if he knows anything about our operations! It is imperative that I control, lest we let Mr. Furukiayu's unfamiliarity cost us our existence." "Well said, Sadojima, well said. Mr. Furukiayu?"

Tenma now stepped forward and knelt before Oyabun.

"Sir, I have studied long and hard, the ancient magics of the Nether Realm, and used its powers to make us stronger. I have never failed you, furthermore. Through my thorough research, I have discovered an ancient prophesy, that if we take advantage of it, it will grant us power beyond our wildest dreams. I, myself am part of it, as is my daughter Karen, whom you all remember from our operation 17 years ago. Mr. Yashuhara's daughter and Mr. Nagaihidaka's son are also part of this plot. When it is complete all of Japan will cower before our clan. Do not forget, Mr. Otoantou is also a part of my little scheme. So, choose wisely, that is, choose me."
"A brilliant speech as usual, Tenma. Please leave the room, so that I may make my final decision."

Meanwhile...the group arrived back at the house. A servant opened the door for Shou as he carried the still unconscious Karen up all the stairs and laid her down on the bed. He then placed the also sound asleep Naru in her bed as well, kissing her goodnight.

He then closed the door and headed back to his room.

Back at Oyabun's...

"This is perfect Hayami. Oyabun will give the clan to me, and we can enact my master plan immediately!" Tenma exclaimed.
"He has not made the decision yet. We won't know until he calls us back in."
"I am the Minister of Chaos. I used my powers to try and influence him. There's no way we can loose!"
"Gentlemen, he's ready for you."

With that the door was opened once again and the groups stepped in. Oyabun coughed heavily and took a sip of water as everyone patiently waited for him to announce his decision.

"I have thought long and hard...and I have finally come to a decision. The clan's new leader, after my death, will be...Mr. Sadojima!"

Sadojima and his cohorts let out a cheer of success as Tenma and Hayami left the room.

"DAMMIT!!!! There are only three people who should be running that clan, wa, ta, shi!" Tenma shouted.
"Tenma, he's not in charge yet, in case you didn't hear. He takes over AFTER Oyabun is dead."

Tenma stopped at this as an evil scheme came into his head.

"We have to eliminate Sadojima and all of his allies before he can take control. Then we'll be the only ones left!"

Tenma pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number.

"Houji, it's me. I've got a little job for you to take care of..."

Back at Shou's, the next morning...

"Owwwwwwwwww...." Karen said, her head throbbing in pain. "What happened...the last thing I remember is...SHOU!!!!!!!!"

Throwing her covers off her and making a mad dash for Shou's room, the commotion caused Naru to stir.

Karen carefully opened the door to Shou's room, hoping for the element of surprise. Shou was lying there, in childlike bliss, unawares of what was about to happen to him.

With a wave of her hand, he floated up above the bed, as everything else in the room started to float as well, except for Karen. This strange activity woke up the speed demon, who was now dangling precariously above the floor.

"Whadddyadoin this for!!!!!?" Shou shouted, struggling to get out.
"<You got me plastered last night didn't you?!> Karen shouted.
"I din't mean too! You're the one who downed three Japanese Teas!"
"<Because I didn't know that there was alcohol in them!>"
"Ya just turned twenty, whaddya expect me ta order for ya?"

Karen got angrier and increased her power an inch or so, causing Shou to slam into the ceiling.

"Karen-sempai, put him down! Yes, he got you drunk last night, but he felt so bad that he took you home, carrying you up the stairs over his shoulder!" Naru pleaded.

Karen stopped suddenly. Shou did something nice? Had she misjudged the oaf? Was there actually a sweet guy under all that insanity? Maybe.

"Look, Imsorry about everyting! Put me down? Please? I beg o' ya!"

Karen sighed and released her influence over the gravity in the room, causing Shou to fall quite painfully into his bed again.

"Thank you." he groaned.

Heading downstairs for breakfast, the girls were greeted by Tenma and Hayami.

"Good morning you two. Did you sleep well?"
"Not so good..."
"Looks like you fell victim to Shou's happy birthday gift." his father observed.
"<Lucky Me...>"
"Yes. When he and his friends turned twenty the all went out and ordered strong cocktails and were hung over the next morning. Looks like he did you in."
"Tell me about it."

Tenma's eyes, were all on the news report. Apparently, the previous night the home of a wealthy businessman was burned to the ground with him still in it. The report went on to say that the man in question was an associate of Mr. Sadojima. Tenma smiled deviously, knowing his plan would soon fall into place. Karen and Naru, however, were shocked at what had happened.

Next Episode:

SHOU: Yeah! I get ta do dis one too!

KAREN: We're doing this together...

SHOU: Oh fine. So, what's gonna happen next time?

KAREN: I don't really know.

SHOU: Whaddyameanyadunno?

KAREN: The author doesn't really know where he wants to go next.

NARU: Do we at least know what the title is?

KAREN: Kinda. Our next exiting episode is called...

SHOU: WHAT? Ah! Ya don't know, do ya!

KAREN: I DO!!!!!!

SHOU: Ya do not!

KAREN: I DO TOO!!!!!!

NARU: ::sighs:: and they're supposed to be the adults. Next time on Ronin Warriors, Hell back on Earth; Boston Revisited. Don't miss it!